Badges



May 12, 1959 J. G. MICHAEL BADGES Filed July 29, 1958 INVENTOR JOHN GRAHAM MICHAEL Un d ,.3ra S Patent BADGES John GrahamMichael, Wynnewood, Pa. Application July 29, 1958, Serial No. 751,712

3 Claims. on. 40-15 A popular typeof badge or insigne comprises a button of metal or plastic decorated onits front face and having its peripheral edge inturned to form a channel, a rosette of superpdsedj plies of ribbon, plastic or other appropriate material sufficiently large to form a decorative background for the button and a resilient element made of spring, usually brass, wire having an arcuate portion adapted to seat snugly in the aforesaid channel and a pin portion extending substantially diametrically from one end of the arcuate portion across the latter and projecting at its free end a little beyond the periphery of the button, this pinportion passing through the center of the rosette and projecting behind the latter forinsertion into-a coat lapel or other portion of the wearers clothingjthe element thus serving as the connecting means between the rosette and the button.

Frictional engagement between the arcuate portion of the resilient element and-the button is sufiicient to maintain the button and the element in any position of relative rotational adjustment to which they may be brought; consequently if the decoration on the front of the button be a word printed in a straight line and the button be turned so this line extends substantially at right angles to the pin and the latter then inserted in an article of clothing substantially in an upright position, the word on the button will extend approximately horizontally. The rosette, however, is capable of rotation about the pin and also reasonably free to move upon it so that as the pin is progressively inserted into an article of clothing or the like the rosette is pushed along the pin until arrested by engagement with the inturned rim of the button in which position if the pin has been inserted at the center of the rosette the latter is out of coaxial relation with the button. It results either that a larger area of the rosette is exposed more or less symmetrically above the horizontal diameter of the button than is exposed therebelow or else, more frequently, the rosette swings sidewise about its center giving a lopsided appearance to the badge as a whole which seriously detracts from its ornamental effect. Furthermore, if to compensate for this the pin is inserted in the rosette at a point above the center of the latter the button is free to swing to left or right about an axis oflset from that of the rosette which also results in an unsymmetrical and undesirable appearance.

It is therefore an object of my invention to obviate these objections to a badge of the character aforesaid by the provision of means therein adapted to maintain the button and rosette substantially concentric yet permitting relative rotation between them.

A further object is the provision of a resilient element of novel form for maintaining a rosette in operatively assembled rotation with a button and providing a pivot for the former in substantial alignment with its center upon which the rosette may rotate in coaxial relation to the button.

Other objects, novel features and advantages of my invention are hereinafter mentioned or will be apparent from the following description of a badge embodying it and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a face view of the badge;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 in Fig. 1, the relative thickness of the several plies of material in the rosette being exaggerated to facilitate illustration;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the resilient element removed from the parts with which it is operatively associated in Figs. 1 and 2, and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of said element looking in the direction of the arrows in Fig. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the badge shown therein comprises in common the badges of generally similar type not embodying the invention,

to form a unitary whole as by an adhesive, staples, or

other suitable means, the term rosette being used herein generically to denote any suitable decorative background element for the button, preferably one the thickness of which is but a minute fraction of its other dimensions.

In accordance with usual practice the peripheral edge 1 of the button is turned back on itself to define an annular channel 2 adapted for reception of an arcuate portion of the resilient element P, conveniently designated as the pin, best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 which serves not only to maintain the button and rosette in assembled relation but also to attach the badge as a whole to the clothing of the wearer by, inserting a portion of the pin thereinto inv the usual way.

More particularly, this element P which may preferably be made of spring brass wire comprises a generally arcuate part 5 subtending an angle of somewhat more than 180 and conforming approximately in radius to that of channel 2 of the button in which it is designed to seat. At one end of this arcuate part the wire is bent on itself to form a preferably straight portion 6 extending radially inward approximately in the plane of the arcuate part to a point substantially coincident with the center of the arc to which said part conforms and is there bent axially outward away from said plane and at right angles thereto to provide a pivot 7 of length (exaggerated in the drawing) somewhat greater than the thickness of the center of the rosette; thence it is again bent in the plane of portion 6 to form an included angle of slightly less than with the pivot to finally terminate in a sharpened point 8 overlying and resiliently hugging the arcuate part so that when assembled with the button as hereinafter described the point will project beyond the periphery of the latter to facilitate attachment to the wearers clothing or other desired support for the badge.

The several parts just described are assembled to form the completed badge in the following manner: The free end of the pin P is passed through the center of the rosette, which of course has been previously constructed as an integral unit with its parts secured together by an adhesive, stitching or clinched staples, e.g. staple 9, in the customary manner, and the rosette slid up along the pin and seated on pivot 7 to lie approximately parallel with the general plane of the arcuate part. The latter is then sprung into channel 2 in which position pivot 7 will coincide with the axis of the button but (Fig. 2) extend a little behind the plane of its rear face, the length of the pivot being so calculated as to effect this result. This leaves the free end of the pin beyond the pivot projecting behind the rosette with the edge of the button in engagement with the latter so that when the pin is inserted through the fabric of an article of clothing or the like the tendency of the pin to hug the rim of thebuttonpressesthe rosette against the 'rim and inhibits its rotation relatively to the'button and to thefabric as well.

'Whenso assembled, frictional engagement of arcuate part S-of the pin with the channel of the button is sufficient to hold these parts in any position of rotative adjustment, for example with a legend on the button at right angles to the free end 8 of the pin so when the latter is pushed into, say, a coat lapel approximately vertically the legend will extend horizontally. The rosette, however, remains capable ofrotation about pivot 7 whether such rotation be intentional on the part of thewearer or otherwise, but since pivot 7 'is substantiallyeoaxial with the button suchrrotation is consistent with "the concentric "relation "between the button and rosette 'so'the symmetrical appearance of the badge'is preserved no matter how much of it occurs.

A further advantage of my invention resides in the fact that spring pin P is equally suitable for assembly with badges devoid of a rosette and hence consisting solely of a button or the like having a channel for reception of arcuate portion of the pin; in consequence it is unnecessary for a badge manufacturer to maintain stocks of different pins on hand for use respectively in badges with and without rosettes, or to install more than one type of machine for producing pins. Moreover, since in the production of badges of either style the pins can be first assembled with the buttons, a badge manufacturer by utilizing solely the pins of my invention can assemble them with any desired number of buttons of a given type and then attach rosettes to a certain proportion of the latter intended, for example, to sell for a price higher than those devoid of rosettes, all of which tends to facilitate and to decrease cost of production.

While I have herein described my invention with considerable particularity I do not thereby desire or intend 4- to confine or restrict myself to the specific disclosure thereof herein embodied as various modifications and changes in the elements employed and in their method os assembly may be made if desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent o'fithe United States:

1. A badge comprising .a .display button having its peripheral edge inturned to define a channel, a rosette forming a background therefor .and aneIementcomprising a resilient part fitting in said channel and a part extending from an end of the first part substantially diametrically across the button ,in :spaced substantially parallel planes including a portion coincident with the center of the button extending through and forming a pivot for the rosette and a pin portion behind the rosette for attaching the badge to asupport. p I v 2. .A 'badge including a button having an inturned peripheral edge defining a channel, a rosette disposed symmetrically with respectito and 'forming a background for the button, and a resilient element having an armate part seating in said channel and a straight part extending from one endof said arcuate pa-rt substantially diametrically-across the button comprising a. portion coincident with the axis of thelatterprojecting through and forming a pivot for the rosette, and asharpened portion behind the rosette and overlying the edge of the button providing means for attachment of the badge to a support.

3. A badge asdefined inlclaim 2 in which the sharpened portion extends at an angle of less than to the axis of the pivotand yieldinglypresses the rosette against the adjacent-edge portion of the button.

References Cited; in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,310,804 Phelps .July 22, 1919 1,426,487 Laux Aug. 22, 1922 2,762,146 Milazzo Sept. 11, 1956 

